Seekers of Truth

Westerners found a spiritual life in a Sikh community. Sham Rang Singh Khalsa is proud to be a Sikh. So are his wife and stepdaughter, and the 60 or so others who live at the Guru Ram Das Ashram and Gudwara, the yoga community and Sikh temple in Millis, Mass. (DAVID VARGAS)

DAVID VARGASNortheast Magazine

Sham Rang Singh Khalsa's long graying beard, neatly tucked turban and all-white attire have always attracted attention when he walks through a supermarket or a crowded mall.

Since Sept. 11, curious stares have hardened with hostility, and sometimes erupted into slurs, because some people have associated his appearance with the Taliban of Afghanistan and the terrorists America has vowed to stop. He tries to dispel these attitudes with a grin and a sharp comment. He is proud to be a Sikh.

So are his wife and stepdaughter, and the 60 or so others who live at the Guru Ram Das Ashram and Gudwara, the yoga community and Sikh temple in Millis, Mass.

Most of these 60 "Western Sikhs," as they refer to themselves, were introduced to the religion through yoga. In the early 1970s, Siri Singh Sahib, or Yogi Bhajan as they affectionately call him, moved from India to Los Angeles, answering a calling to teach yoga. Many in the Guru Ram Das Ashram were his students, or students of his students.

Ek Ong Kar Singh Khalsa, a real estate agent who lives at the Millis ashram, took yoga classes from a Sikh instructor while at the University of Oregon. "It was so appealing because I wanted to combine spirituality with a lifestyle. ... It just made sense."

Sikhism is a monotheistic religion founded in the Punjab - now part of both Pakistan and India - with roots in Hinduism and Islam. It claims more than 20 million followers, as many as half a million of them in the United States. Founder Guru Nanak, born in India in 1469, dedicated his life to spreading the message of unity with the One Creator.

He taught Sikhs ("seekers of truth") to bow only before God and to live in direct consciousness of Him. The Khalsa, or baptized Sikhs, are devoted to purity in thought and action. They refrain from taking meat, tobacco, alcohol or any other intoxicant, and from having sexual relationships outside marriage.

Their distinctive appearance is a reminder of their commitment to purity. They all leave their hair and beard uncut, crowning their head with a neatly arranged turban. They wear the Kara, a steel circle worn on the wrist as a symbol of bondage to truth and freedom from every other entanglement. They also carry a Kirpan, a small sword with which the Khalsa symbolically commits to defend the truth. They all wear the Katchera, a special cotton undergarment that reaffirms their commitment to purity.

"Ever since the September 11 attacks, we feel we need to be out there and educate people about us and our religion," says Sat Hanuman Singh, a businessman and a minister at Guru Ram Das. Hundreds of incidents of abuse against Sikhs in the United States have been reported. Avtar Kaur Khalsa said she has been harassed while driving with her daughter. Sham Rang Singh has been shouted at because of his turban and beard. These incidents moved local police officers to visit the ashram and instruct members on preventive measures against possible acts of violence.

But lately, Sham Rang Singh says he has noticed a shift. "I see more people now checking in with you to see if everything is all right," he said. People like Dave Marden, a clerk at Barber Bros., a store in Natick, Mass. As Sham Rang Singh and his family did some Christmas shopping, Marden made small talk with the group. And as they talked about some of Sham Rang's bad experiences, Marden apologized for other people's behavior toward the Sikhs. "I feel bad this happens, it's just plain wrong."